After the downgrade: Protect your retirement

Here are 10 tips to preserve your retirement savings and plans now that Standard & Poor's has lowered the credit rating of the U.S.
By MSN Money partner

So Standard & Poor's has downgraded U.S. Treasury debt and Washington is a fiscal and political mess. What does that mean for your retirement? Nothing good, for sure. But you can limit the damage with a calm, yet realistic approach.



Here are 10 steps that should help protect your retirement. Post continues after video.

http://money.msn.com/retirement/article.aspx?post=1c521b34-84f2-4561-89dc-61093b1724a0&from=en-us_msnhp>1=33013

Elderly worry how debt crisis will affect Social Security

Worst case scenario, a national default would be felt at the grocery store, at the mall, and in your mortgage and credit card payments.

The government could also struggle to write checks for things like military pay, and social security.

"What will happen to me, and what will happen to all of my friends," said Connie Roberts, a resident at Fountainbleu Lodge Retirement Home.

Elderly Stay Cool

THURSDAY, July 21 (HealthDay News) -- The risk of heat-related illnesses, such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion, increases with age, experts at the U.S. National Institute on Aging warn.

As people get older, the researchers explained, they are less able to adapt to high temperatures, like those engulfing much of the nation now. As a result, the heat might exacerbate any medical conditions they have.

ANEURYSM AWARENESS

By: Phil Nowell

Each year, more than 20,000 people in the United States are affected by a life-threatening thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA). Although TAAs are less common than other diseases like heart attacks or diabetes, they can prove to be just as dangerous.Fortunately, if detected early, TAAs can be treated, or even cured, with new treatment options that help patients to ensure a longer, fuller and more active lifestyle.

Elderly Day Care

Adult Day Care is a life senior service for frail, physically or cognitively impaired, seniors and their caregivers. Numerous stand alone adult day care facilities and adult day care centers are available in urban and suburban areas to provide elderly care

Tips to Help Seniors rest well

In the later years of my mother’s life, she complained that she could never sleep. However, once while sharing a bedroom with her, I learnt that her lack of sleep was simply not so. She snored almost the whole night. I learned a lesson; lack of sleep can be very real psychologically, but can also be a product of one’s imagination.


http://completewellbeing.com/article/60-still-sleeping-sound/

Daily Dose of Vitamin D Prevents Falls in Elderly

(NaturalNews) Seniors who take a large daily dose of vitamin D may be significantly less likely to suffer from falls, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Center on Aging and Mobility at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and published in the British Medical Journal.

Packaging services to prevent suicide among the elderly

NEW YORK — Suicide is more common among older Americans than any other age group. The statistics are daunting. While people 65 and older account for 12 percent of the population, they represent 16 percent to 25 percent of the suicides. Four out of five suicides in older adults are men. And among white men over 85, the suicide rate - 50 per 100,000 men - is six times that of the general population.

Playgrounds for Seniors: A Fun and Practical Idea Gets the Elderly in Motion

(NaturalNews) In Great Britain and Japan, playgrounds are being built for seniors. In Manchester, United Kingdom, seniors can use low impact exercise equipment in Dam Head Public Park. In Japan, with birthrates falling and the numbers of senior citizens increasing, underused playgrounds are being renovated for seniors.

Elderly Abuse

Officials are learning to speak the same language and using the same forensic techniques as those popularized on the three C.S.I. television series to diagnose elder abuse and neglect. For decades, the techniques have been the state-of-the-art approach for investigating child abuse and domestic violence. But elder abuse has lagged far behind, suffering from a lack of financing, research and data.







http://www.nytimes.com/packages/khtml/2006/09/26/us/20060927_ABUSE_FEATURE.html

Elderly Abused at 1 in 3 Nursing Homes: Report

Reports of serious, physical, sexual and verbal abuse are "numerous" among the nation's nursing homes, according to a congressional report released today.

The study, prepared by the minority (Democratic and Independent) staff of the Special Investigations Division of the House Government Reform Committee, finds that 30 percent of nursing homes in the United States — 5,283 facilities — were cited for almost 9,000 instances of abuse over a recent two-year period, from January 1999 to January 2001.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=92689&page=1

Care for your Elderly

If an elderly person in your care has developed bed sores there are a number of ways to aid in the healing process. First, you’ll want to help your patient change positions approximately every 15 minutes if they’re in a wheelchair, or every two hours if they’re confined to a bed. Support surfaces, like cushions and pads, should also be used to relieve pressure on an existing sore and protect vulnerable areas.

To live longer, shop more, study suggests?

Retail therapy does more than soothe the soul — it could also be a sign of long life for elderly people, according to a new study.

Elderly people who shop every day are 27 percent less likely to die over a 10-year period than those who shop once a week, the study said. (The study was limited to Taiwanese, so the findings may not apply to all groups of people.)

Sugar toxic for Elderly and Youth?

On May 26, 2009, Robert Lustig gave a lecture called “Sugar: The Bitter Truth,” which was posted on YouTube the following July. Since then, it has been viewed well over 800,000 times, gaining new viewers at a rate of about 50,000 per month, fairly remarkable numbers for a 90-minute discussion of the nuances of fructose biochemistry and human physiology.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?_r=3&ref=homepage&src=me&pagewanted=all

Packaged Computer Products for Seniors

Computer can be a challenge for some seniors, but there are numerous products availible that can make computing a more enjoyable experience. Whether it's a keyboard with large keys or a mouse that's easy to use, TouchBrite can help find products that will alleviate frustration, and help seniors become more involved with the information revolution.

Nutrition for Seniors

A Healthy Diet and nutrition for the elderly is strongly affected by several factors, including a change in body composition. During the last years of life, body and bone loss and muscle gain fat because the hormones are not very active longer.

There are many factors that impede the health of an elderly person. The following information will help you lead a healthy life – no matter their age.

10 Principles of a Healthy diet for the Elderly

Different diet for the human body, but plays a different role, and for older persons with physical, want to have good body should know diet, know reasonable collocation more conditioning in diet a good body. Now, I'll take a look at the old man's diet in the end it should be noted that some what?1, fruits and vegetables, diet for the elderly should be fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh, coloured class is rich in vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, fruit also contains a wealth of organic acids, stimulates appetite increase the role of acid-base balance and maintaining body fluid

Vegetarian Nutrition with the elderly

Health has always been our concern a, aging and now is more and more, each season is different from the old man's diet, then the old spring diet difference? especially elderly vegetarian food. The liturgical is vegetarian elderly, in order to achieve the nutritional balance, well-built purposes, you must note the following: reasonable cooking science select old diet should be light and delicious, but just the right amount of grease is the life of the elderly and nutrition. The lack of human body fat can cause energy shortage and fat-soluble vitamins and the lack of essential fatty acids, but too much fat, even though it is a vegetable oil, on human health.

With Aging, Studies show Vitamin K Strengthens Bones

A study in Spain found that eating foods rich in vitamin K was linked to high bone-mineral density for elderly adults. The report in the journal Bone said higher intakes of vitamin K among men and women were associated with lower BMD loss and smaller increases in porosity and elasticity, which come with aging.


http://www.smartbrief.com/news/gma/storyDetails.jsp?issueid=E4B44783-4980-4C2A-9807-FE22DD1A3B9B©id=BECCEDBD-86A7-46B6-A813-DD52A723E7FB&brief=gma&sb_code=rss&&campaign=rss

Kegel Exercises for Mature Adults

Kegel exercises involve tightening and holding the muscles in the pelvic floor to control the uterus, bowels and bladder. By strengthening the pelvic floor muscles, you can gain control over incontinence, a common problem in the elderly, report doctors at the Mayo Clinic. With a little practice, anyone can perform Kegel exercises